xml-dev - RE: Joel on XML

[Ashvil <ashvil@i3connect.net>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ricko@mail.geotempo.com
>
> Criticizing a general, non-technical marketing blurb for
> being vague is
> futile. The pupose of those white-papers is so that barely-technical
> decision-makers outside MS feel confident that MS has a
> good plan and
> they are leading not reacting.  It is like Lousiana

I agree but this whitepaper does a even worse job at that. The non
technical folks I talked too complained that it is all over the map,
does not do a good job at explaining what doe the user gains with this
(compared to the current Internet), lack of a business model, could
not see how the pieces fit together, how do other companies work in
this world, would this lead to more of the Love bug type virus, etc.
Some of them were not comfortable with storing their personal data on
the network and all sorts of personal and privacy issues were raised.
The technical people actually gave the concept a higher rating then
the non technical ones.

I sympathize with the people who wrote the whitepaper, it is a tough
job to explain these concepts. I would give Microsoft points for
trying. Hey it version 1.0 ;-) And their video demos do a better job
at explaining this to the non technical folks.

I raised a similar issue on the requirements and user expectations for
the Semantic Web sometime back and the response from Simon was the
closest one was Tim's book, 'Weaving the Web'. Tim BL also promised to
write a whitepaper on this.

I think we need more whitepapers on this vision (Semantic Web, .NET,
Next Generation Internet, ...) from different folks and companies.
Putting all of them together may let us see the elephant[1] and what
part XML plays in it.

Regards,
Ashvil

1. The six blind men and the elephant story.
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/blindmen.htm